30 Rock Finale: I Lizzed, I Cried

Spoilers for the series finale of 30 Rock below: If you had asked me to describe 30 Rock back when it debuted in 2006–or really, most any time between then and now–the first phrase that came to mind would not have been “love story.” But the series’ sharp, nostalgic, funny and heartfelt finale made it clear that that’s exactly what it was. It was not, most of the time, a romantic love story. That was part of it, especially as Liz Lemon found just the right oddball match for herself in Criss these final two seasons. One of the things that made this show distinctive was that it made finding love a goal in a female protagonist’s life without making it the goal. Instead, what nerdy, workaholic, Top Chef-obsessed Liz demonstrated was that there was room in her life for all kinds of love: for herself, for work, for coworkers, for friends. The most obvious example was Liz and Jack’s sendoff scene, as fine a declaration of platonic love as a sitcom has ever done. Jack leads into it with a long etymology of the verb, which is partly just the way his character would sidle up gingerly to any discussion of love, but also makes a real point. 30 Rock has admirably been no-nonsense about saying there is no will-they-won’t-they with Liz and Jack. But that doesn’t mean there’s no love. Indeed, their work-love–more unlikely than most odd-couple romantic pairings–has always been one of the most important parts of the show: a love that’s about respect, mutual concern and high regard. Jack made low-key, complacent Liz realize that she was ambitious and talented; Liz made Jack realize that there were kinds of happiness that extend beyond share prices and clear dishwashers (though the latter are very important). That’s not always comfortable–hence their final fight–but that’s what friendship-love does. Above all, the finale gushed sincere but pitch-perfect love for its characters. Over the years I’ve sometimes criticized 30 Rock for really only giving depth to Liz and Jack, while the